Happy April Fools' Day. We have already had a few young people trying to play some kind jokes on staff by telling them they had their shoes on the wrong feet and much amused when staff looked down to check!  All good humour!

It has been another busy week at Knox Academy and we have been very lucky to have managed to continue with face to face teaching for all year groups thus far – fingers crossed we can get through until the end of term! Many of our seniors are busy completing course work and assignments in readiness for their SQA exams. Next Friday we are having a ‘fun day’ for our S6 leavers, with a formal ceremony at 10am, followed by activities and a buffet lunch with staff to end the morning.

Staffing

Computing – closes on 3/4/2022 – full-time, permanent position

Congratulations to Maura Maloney, our SWIRE Mandarin teacher, who has been appointed to a permanent teaching position at James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh, starting in August.

Global Citizenship

The events in Ukraine over the last month have been hugely upsetting. At least 3 million people have fled their homes to escape the conflict - at least half are estimated to be children and young people.  Heavy fighting, shelling and air strikes across the country have had devastating consequences - homes have been destroyed, families have been separated and lives have been lost. The rights of children in Ukraine are currently being denied and we as a school community want to help to make a difference. On Friday 8th of April we are asking Knox Academy pupils and staff to bring in a donation which will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee which brings together charities which help provide food, water and medical assistance to those affected by the conflict.  We are also encouraging pupils and staff to wear Blue and Yellow to show our support for the Ukrainian people. Please give what you are able to so we can help in this humanitarian disaster. Thank you, the Social Subjects Faculty. 

 

Curriculum and SQA Information

Estimate Grades for SQA Qualifications

These will be issued, with a covering letter, to all S4, S5 and S6 pupils next Thursday.

Easter Revision School and Booster Sessions

Pupils had to apply for places on the Easter Revision programme by midday today and will find out at the start of next week which sessions they have been allocated. Booster and immersion sessions will also take place after the holidays that all pupils in S4-S6 can access.

 

Parents’/Carers’ Information

SQA Update

SQA has put together a new blog post for parents/carers which provides an overview of the support available for senior pupils. This also includes information about appeals.

School Improvement Planning

Thank you to the parents/carers who responded to this and once this has been evaluated we will report back on the key findings from pupils, parents/carers and staff.

Achievement Ties – Applications Now Open

A reminder that Achievement Ties applications are now open with the deadline for nominations this session on Friday 6 May 2022.  Nominations can be completed through the google form found here .
For information please see the attached Presentation. A presentation to pupils is planned on this in the next week. 

School Leavers in S4, S5 and S6

All senior pupils leaving Knox Academy this year should have now completed their Leavers’ Form. Please can parents/carers check with your young person that they have done this? Thank you.

Library Books Return

Pupils leaving school are reminded that all books should be returned prior to the completion of the leavers form. All other pupils are requested to ensure they return (or renew) library books in good time. Thank you (Mrs Fry, Librarian)

SchoolPay On-Line Payments  

Parents and carers are reminded that online payment is the significantly preferred option, as we can no longer accept cash or cheque payments.  SCHOOLPAY can be accessed via https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/schoolpay, and also via the SchoolPay tab in the Parent and Carers section of the website.  Users are required to register prior to use – please contact the School Office if you require further information. (School Office)

 

Pupils’ Achievements

Cycling

Good luck to Alasdair Easton (S3) who is competing this weekend in the Scottish Cycling Youth Tour 2022. We will look forward to hearing how he does on his return to school next week. 

Music

Ben Gentil (S5) recently sat his Grade 6 Drumming. Not only did he pass, he did so with distinction and attained 100/100! Full marks are only ever given in exceptional circumstances - and Ben is exceptional. We are very lucky we have his talents to play in our school bands too. A huge congratulations Ben as this takes many hours of practice to achieve this.

Covid-19 Information

Please continue to report all positive Covid-19 cases to covidinschools@eastlothian.gov.uk or if you do not have access to email, telephone 01875 613921. Please also inform the school so we can amend your young person’s attendance record. LFD kits are available every morning on arrival to school and during the day from the office. They can also be collected from pharmacies and test centres.

Please do not send pupils to school who have symptoms. They should self-isolate and book a PCR test and not return to school until they know this is negative and they have no symptoms. Pupils should also continue to do a twice weekly LFD test and if this is positive, self-isolate until they get two negative LFD tests, two days apart after day 6.  If they do not, they are able to return after day 10.

We now have a dedicated section on our website for all things Covid, so please refer to it for the latest information.

 

Dates for your diary:

Friday 8 April                                   S6 Leavers’ Ceremony

Monday 11 – Friday 22 April        Easter holidays (Easter Revision Sessions for S4-S6 who have signed up to these)

Monday 25 April                              All pupils and staff return

Wednesday 27 April                       *Exam leave starts for S4-S6

Have a great weekend.

Sue Cook

 

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk @knoxacademy @knoxacademyHT for the latest information and updates